What Is 'Unlimited Blade Works'? The 'Fate / Stay Night' Copypasta Explained

In the complex fandom of Fate, there are some memes that can only be explained with paragraphs of explanation, hours of watching a show, and an understanding of early internet localization culture. Luckily, for the copypasta known as Unlimited Blade Works, only a fraction of that is required before you are able to laugh with the best of them at someone saying "I am the bone of my sword," so let's begin!

What Is 'Unlimited Blade Works'?

In the Fate series, characters fight each other. Similar to any other anime involving character fights, it's only expected that a character trying to pull off a really big and powerful attack will be needed to call out a name, maybe do a little chant, or an incantation to help charge it up, like a Kamehameha, but longer.

These types of attacks are called Noble Phantasms, but the logic behind the name doesn't matter as much as understanding that a Noble Phantasm is basically a fighters ultimate attack. In Fate/Stay Night, the character Emiya has a Noble Phantasm named Unlimited Blade Works, and to activate it there are two different phrases that can be used.

The Copypasta

The phrase that is needed to use Unlimited Blade Works changes depending on who says it. When Emiya Shirou, the red-haired guy from "People die if they are killed," is the one trying to use it, the phrase is:

"I am the Bone of my Sword
Steel is my Body and Fire is my Blood
I have created over a Thousand Blades
Unaware of Loss,
Nor aware of Gain.
Withstood Pain to create Weapons, Waiting for one’s Arrival
I have no Regrets. This is the only Path
My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works"

However, in the same continuity, another character named Archer who looks like Emiya, except he has white hair and a Matrix long red jacket on, is able to use Unlimited Blade Works with a slightly different phrase:

"I am the Bone of my Sword
Steel is my Body and Fire is my Blood.
I have created over a Thousand Blades,
Unknown to Death,
Nor known to Life.
Have withstood Pain to create many Weapons
Yet those Hands will never hold Anything.
So, as I Pray--
Unlimited Blade Works"

How Do You Use 'Unlimited Blade Works' As A Meme?

There are two direct ways that people have used the copypasta as a meme. The first is to quote part of it, either as a reply or as a caption on an image, to directly make people try to recite the next line in a reply chain. The second way that the meme is referenced is by changing around the words in the chant. Instead of the opening line of 'I am the Bone of my Sword' anything can be substituted, with people often making references to other franchises.

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For the full history of Unlimited Blade Works, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.